NZXT Announces Sentry 2 Fan Controller

Category: Cooling
Posted: July 1, 2009 07:48PM
Author: Dale Shuck

NZXT today announced the Sentry 2 touch screen fan controller that can control up to five fans. Unlike it larger brother, the NZXTSentry LX, the new controller fits in a single 5.25" drive bay. The touch screen features fast response times with all the information you need to monitor your system's cooling performance including temperature readouts in either Fahrenheit or Celsius. The unit supports up to 10W on each channel and fans can be set manually or to run automatically in response to specific temperatures. The controller is compatible with any fans using voltage control and has other convenient features such as the ability to turn off the display. The unit also offers internal storage to maintain user setting in case power is turned off. You should start seeing the Sentry 2 on store shelves this month at an MSRP of $29.99US.

CoolIT to Cool 3DBOXX 4850 Extreme Workstation

Category: Cooling
Posted: May 21, 2009 08:31PM
Author: Dale Shuck

CoolIT Systems has announced it has been chosen by BOXX Technologies as the cooling solution provider for the 3DBOXX 4850 Extreme Workstation. BOXX makes high-end workstations for use in the 2D/3D design animation and video rendering market. The 3DBOXX 4850 earns its 'Extreme' moniker by offering what BOXX calls a 'performance enhance' Core i7 CPU running at 4GHz. That's just a nice marketing term for overclocked and in order to keep the heat under control, CoolIT has developed a custom liquid cooling solution to keep temperatures low and system noise to a minimum. CoolIT has partnered with other high-performance OEMs in the past as well as offering a complete line of liquid cooling systems to the enthusiast market.

Corsair Launches Advanced Cooling Options For Dominator & Dominator GT Memory

Category: Cooling
Posted: May 14, 2009 12:28AM
Author: Ben Grantham

Back at CES in January we got to see a demo of some new memory cooling technology Corsair was developing, which was keeping a set of the company's Dominator GT modules humming along nicely at 2000MHz with timings of 7-8-7-20. Now Corsair is launching the technology, with the Hydro Series H30 water-block and Ice Series T30 thermo-electric cooler offering ways to keep temperatures down and improve overclocking performance. The Hydro Series H30 water block is an anodized aluminum affair which can be used to cool up to six Dominator or Dominator GT modules using the DHX+ heatsink (that comes with removable fins), and is compatible water cooling setups with 3/8 inch diameter tubing. If you want to take things a step further, you can combine the water block with the Ice Series T30 thermo-electric cooler, which is capable of cooling memory up to 20c below ambient temperature. It avoids the common problem of water condensation by employing a humidity sensor circuit to prevent modules being cooled below the dew point. Corsair claim frequency improvements of as much as 100MHz with the T30 when compared with standard cooling.

Of course, this kind of cool technology comes at a price, which is $59.99 for the H30 water block and $199.99 for the T30 thermo-electric cooler (which includes the water block). Both are available direct from Corsair's online shop and come with one year warranties.

NZXT Offers Free AC Adapter for Cryo LX Notebook Cooler

Category: Cooling
Posted: May 7, 2009 07:57PM
Author: Dale Shuck

Owners of the Cryo LX notebook cooler have the chance to score a free AC adapter from NZXT. The cooler has four rear mounted USB ports and apparently they weren't getting enough juice to power some peripherals such as external hard drives. NZXT decided to take care of its customers by offering an AC adapter for free. Free as in all you have to do is contact the company at rma@nzxt.com and they'll ship it out free of charge. That's pretty good customer service in my book. The only caveat is you have to be able to provide your purchase receipt in order to qualify.

CoolIT Systems is Acquiring Delphi Liquid Cooling Assets

Category: Cooling
Posted: April 27, 2009 07:55PM
Author: Dale Shuck

CoolIT Systems today announced it is acquiring the assets of Delphi Liquid Cooling. The deal includes equipment, machinery and rights to Delphi's intellectual property. With the acquisition, CoolIT now has the additional resources to meet the growing global demand for liquid cooled computers. In addition to the high-performance enthusiast market, CoolIT already services most of the major OEMs in the performance computing market. With this move, CoolIT is also picking up the business Delphi had with Dell and Apple. CoolIT sees liquid cooling as the answer to today's high performance hardware and this move will better position CoolIT to meet its goal of producing advanced liquid cooling systems for mass market adoption.

CoolIT Chosen By CyberPowerPC For Advanced Liquid Cooling

Category: Cooling
Posted: March 13, 2009 09:09AM
Author: Ben Grantham

CoolIT provide a variety of advanced liquid cooling systems and recently announced that its Domino A.L.C. solution (reviewed by OCC here) had been chosen by custom computer maker CyberPowerPC for use in its Gamer Xtreme Series. CyberPower CEO Eric Cheung believes that the Domino provides the best feature set of any of the liquid cooling systems it has tested. CoolIT already provides cooling solutions for many other manufacturers, including Dell, Alienware, Velocity Micro and Shuttle. By offering such hardware in pre-built systems, CyberPowerPC can provide the kind of setup that would otherwise require hours of tinkering to put together (though some of our members might argue that getting your hands inside the guts of a system is the most fun part).

Palit Provides Even More Performance and Cooling

Category: Video Cards, Cooling
Posted: January 24, 2009 09:38PM
Author: Brentt Moore

The new 55nm GT200 GPUs have enabled users to clock their cards higher and at lower temperatures than ever, while also consuming less power in some situations. Palit has been known for its extreme cooling in the past, and they seem to be trying to keep that description of themselves. Coming with the new architecture graphics processing unit, the Palit GTX 260 Sonic 216SP contains an overclocked core speed of 625MHz, while also bringing a nice speed of the GDDR3 memory at 2200MHz. The card uses two PWM fans for the cooling system, which will provide room for the extra overlcock the card distributor has given it. Though the card will probably be anticipated by a vast amount of enthusiast consumers, no set price or release date has been specified yet.

Arctic Cooling Aids GTX 200-Series Cards

Category: Video Cards, Cooling
Posted: January 16, 2009 08:52PM
Author: Brentt Moore

While Arctic Cooling seems to provide quality products for CPUs with their Freezer 7 Pro and their MX-2 TIM, they also produce some graphics card coolers. The GeForce GTX 200-series are some of the hottest cards around, and can also be some of the noisiest with their stock fans and heatsinks. Arctic Cooling is now launching the new Accelero XTREME GTX 280 that will fit onto the GeForce GTX 260, 280, and 285 cards. The company supplies their MX-2 TIM product pre-applied and also will come with a total of three 92mm fans that are PWM-controlled. The fans are made with fluid dynamic bearings and can spin at speeds between 1,000 and 2,000 RPM. A grand total of five copper heat pipes will connect to the GPU, while the company plans to feature cooling for the VRMs and RAM chips as well. Overall, Arctic Cooling is saying that with their new cooler for the GTX 200-series, it can lower temps by a maximum of 31 degrees Celsius. While gaming or even doing any form of task that puts the graphics card into an intensive state, this temperature drop could provide that much more room for extra performance.

Lian Li Launches TR-5F Fan Bus With Temperature Fan

Category: Cooling
Posted: December 11, 2008 10:17AM
Author: Ben Grantham

Lian Li is a name synonymous with quality cases, but it also produces other products. Today it announced the launch of the new TR-5F fan controller bundle, which comes with an LED fan that changes color dependant on temperature. The fan controller fits into a spare 5.25" bay, has a large LCD display and can control the speed of up to four fans. It can also monitor the same number of temperatures, with alarms configurable for high temperatures and fan failures. The included LED fan will change color depending on the temperature registered, turning red when running hot or green when running cool (blue is also pictured, which I will assume is in between the two for now). Exact temperatures required for color changes to occur isn't mentioned (or whether they are adjustable). If that all sounds good to you, then you should be able to pick up the TR-5F bundle soon, with a suggested retail price of $55.

CoolIT Systems MTEC Docking Station

Category: Cooling
Posted: October 22, 2008 09:15AM
Author: Dale Shuck

CoolIT Systems, working in collaboration with Intel, has developed an extremely effective cooling solution for Intel Core 2 Extreme mobile processor laptops. The MTEC Docking Station will enable enthusiasts to safely overclock the mobile quad-core processor due to it's software-controlled thermo-electric chiller. The TEC provides chilled air enabling a temperature reduction of around 10 degrees Centigrade. CoolIT's docking station is also perfect for mobile gamers as it features a fold away design making it easy to transport. The software controls integrate with Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility that ensures safe CPU setting are maintained if the laptop is extracted from the docking station while the computer is still running. CoolIT expects to bring the cooler to market beginning in the first quarter of 2009 at a suggested retail price of $140-$180US.

CoolIT Laptop Cooling With MTEC Docking Station

Category: Cooling
Posted: August 20, 2008 11:53AM
Author: Ben Grantham

When you put high end parts into the confined space of a laptop enclosure, things can heat up pretty quickly. CoolIT has been working with Intel to develop the MTEC Docking Station, a system designed to cool down Intel Core 2 Extreme mobile processor based laptops. On first appearances the MTEC Docking Station looks like a straight forward laptop stand and cooler, but as with other CoolIT products it uses MTEC technology, which in this case provides chilled air for CPU and GPU intakes. Heat is then exhausted through the rear of the dock. CoolIT is claiming a 40 Watt cooling boost, which equates to around a 10c decrease, while alledgedly remaining low on noise (software also enables customized performance levels). The MTEC docking station will be available in the first quarter of 2009.

Cooling Using Thin Film Polymers

Category: Cooling
Posted: August 11, 2008 09:58AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Computer enthusiasts are familiar with devices that change temperatures in response to an electrical field. Peltier devices are one form thermal electric cooling used by some enthusiasts looking for that extra edge, albeit at a hefty power cost. These types of devices are not practical for the average computer and their power budget makes them completely unusable in notebooks. Another approach is to use an electrocaloric material such as that developed by Penn State researchers that consists of a thin polymer film. Applying an electrical field across the film rearranges the atoms in the polymer and thus its temperature. The researchers have managed to obtain about a 12 degree Centigrade temperature swing with the new material which can operate at temperatures as low as 55 degrees Centigrade. While this is certainly not extreme cooling by overclocking standards, it could lead to less bulky and more efficient cooling for notebooks. Any practical applications are a ways off though as it currently takes a 120 volt potential to get the polymer's atomic arrangement to move. That would have to be brought down by at least a factor of 10 to make it practical to use in cooling laptops and other portable devices.

Patriot Vortex Kills Excess RAM Heat

Category: Cooling
Posted: August 4, 2008 04:59PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

Performance DRAM and flash memory maker Patriot knows that overclocked parts generate tons of heat, and they've come up with a great way to combat performance killing temperatures. Named Vortex, Patriot's active memory cooler helps keep your clocked-up RAM chill out by taking advantage of dual 40mm fans spinning at 5000 heat destroying RPMs. And, you won't suffer from vibration-induced noise, because each Vortex unit actually sits in an unused RAM slot, and you can count on extreme stability, too, due to a dedicated 12v power connection - eliminating annoying voltage fluctuations. Vortex coolers can lower RAM temps up to 30%, enabling the higher clocks and performance that today's enthusiast demands!

Danamics Liquid Metal CPU Cooler

Category: Cooling
Posted: July 18, 2008 07:54PM
Author: Ben Grantham

It's quite an interesting one this. It seems that Denmark based Danamics have developed a CPU cooler that makes use of "liquid metal", which is claimed to have cooling performance that exceeds most water cooling systems. The liquid metal (whose composition details are scarce) appears to be contained in heatpipe like tubes, which I assume is then circulated using the integrated multi-string electomagnetic pump. Being electromagnetic means no moving parts, as well as a low power requirement (less than 1W apparently). The cooler, named the LM10 certainly sounds as though it has potential on paper, but we'll reserve judgement until someone gets their hands on one and tests the performance. Pricing and launch date are unavailable at this point (naturally).

NZXT Introduce Sentry LX High Performance Fan Controller

Category: Cooling
Posted: July 1, 2008 03:51PM
Author: Ben Grantham

Fan controllers are useful bits of kit to have around, and while a lot of motherboards have some kind of fan control options built in, they often don't compare to a stand alone unit. NZXT is aiming its new Sentry LX fan controller at the budding PC enthusiast (that'd be most of us then) and gives you 5 controllers to hook fans up to (how many amps they can handle isn't noted), as well as 5 temperature probes to give you readings for various areas of your system. The unit slides in to take up two 5.25" drive bays and features an LCD display which looks as though it should give plenty of visibility to your readouts. NZXT is also claiming ergonomic design, the proof of which will be in how easy it is to use once you actually get you hands on it. The Sentry LX will be available in July for $59.99.

Arctic Cooling Unveils New Dual-Fan RAM Cooler

Category: Cooling
Posted: June 17, 2008 06:27PM
Author: ClayMeow

For the casual everyday user, passive RAM heatsinks are often more than enough. But if you're visiting OCC, you're probably not a casual everyday user. No, instead, at some point in your life you have probably pushed your RAM to its limits. For you, Arctic Cooling has announced the RC Turbo Module, to be used in conjunction with its Arctic RC RAM Cooler. According to Arctic Cooling, the RC Turbo Module, containing two ultra-quiet 60mm fans, can reduce temperatures up to 74% compared to having no RAM cooling. For users looking to squeak every little bit out of an overclock, this just may do the trick.

CoolIT Announce Skull Trail Cooling

Category: Cooling
Posted: June 12, 2008 09:52AM
Author: Ben Grantham

So you've just dropped a wedge of cash on a new Skull Trail system and now you are wondering how you are going to cool all that top end hardware. CoolIT thinks it may have the solution you are looking for with its ST line of liquid cooling, which is designed to work with the Intel D5400XS (Skull Trail) motherboard. There are a couple of products in the ST lineup, the first of which is the $269 PURE ST, a system which mounts to a 120mm fan mount and provides cooling for two CPUs and the Chipset. The Boreas MTEC Chassis ST (pictured) takes things up a level, building the powerful Boreas cooling system for both CPUs and chipset into a Silverstone TJ07 case. The Boreas MTEC Chassis ST should set you back around $899, which if you have the money to invest in Skull Trail probably won't seem quite so steep.

Coolink Celebrates Computex 2008 with New Products

Category: Cooling
Posted: June 9, 2008 04:32PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

A global leader in component cooling innovation, Coolink is celebrating a successful showing at Computex 2008, which brought with it the announcement of a few new additions to their family of heat-dissipating products. Every powerful CPU cooling device would be nothing without a good thermal interface material (TIM), and Coolink has developed their first high-power TIM, "Chillaramic". Available in 10g tubes, Chillaramic uses ceramic nano-particles to improve thermal transfer from the CPU to the cooler, so you can overclock higher and benchmark harder. Also on display was the "Big GFXChilla", a high performance video card cooling solution that's guaranteed to fit existing ATI/Nvidia cards, and the next-gen display adapters from both companies - R770 and GT200, respectively. The Big GFXChilla is the bigger, badder brother of the original GFXChilla, and will be available for purchase in Q3 2008.

Arctic Cooling Launch Arctic RC RAM Cooler

Category: Cooling
Posted: May 8, 2008 09:04AM
Author: Ben Grantham

Yesterday it was the Freezer 7 LP and today it is Arctic Cooling's new Arctic RC RAM Cooler. This is AC's first foray into RAM cooling and on the surface appears to be a relatively conservative attempt, with no signs of heatpipes or water cooling connectors. The Arctic RC does however feature large aluminium fins designed for optimal convection cooling. It can be used on both DDR2 and DDR3 modules (single or double sided) and Arctic Cooling is claiming significant temperature drops when compared with generic heatsinks. The pre-applied thermal tape and 'RAM mould' built into the blister packaging should speed up application, though those large fins look like they may be a potential compatibility problem when paired with large CPU coolers. Arctic RC should be available by mid-May and has an MSRP of $14.95 (for a four piece package).

OCC Rosewill Notebook Cooler Contest Over

Category: Cooling, Mobile, OCC News
Posted: April 29, 2008 09:07PM
Author: Scott Young

It's time yet again for another OverclockersClub Contest! This contest is pretty simple, all you have to do is be a current forum member and send an email with "contest" in the subject line and your username in the message box to contest@overclockersclub.com and that's it!  Of course, like any good contest, this one has a prize. Feel free to read the OverclockersClub review of the contest's prize: Rosewill RNA-7000W notebook cooler. Congrats to davidst for winning.

LapWorks Announces Colorful Futura Line of Laptop Coolers

Category: Cooling
Posted: April 9, 2008 11:04AM
Author: Chris Benjamin

LapWorks, a leader in laptop computer accessories and stands, has launched a program allowing customers the opportunity to order a custom paint job for their new LapWorks Desk Futura notebook stand/cooler.  LapWorks has selected a number of color schemes and patterns - Bustin' Blue, Desert Camou, Largely Leopard, and Red Marble, to name a few - sure to help your laptop stand out from the pack.  Even more cool is LapWorks' pledge to poll its customers for new color and pattern suggestions - with one or more new schemes being chosen and produced every month in 2008!  All Desk Futura paint jobs feature an industrial-grade ink which is cured using UV light, giving the paint job a hardness similar to that of automotive paint.  For further customization, every Desk Futura owner is given the choice of having either a matte or semi-gloss acrylic finish, and black or translucent non-slip rubber pads.  Desk Futura products feature a lightweight and thin design, so you'll be able to easily fit it next to your computer in its laptop bag.  LapWorks also has your comfort in mind - the Desk Futura laptop stand offers five ergonomic typing angles, and raises your laptop's screen height by 3.75", so you don't have to bend down and squint your eyes to see well.  Check out LapWorks' Desk Futura webpage for more info and ordering instructions.

Rosewill Unveils Laptop Cooler

Category: Cooling
Posted: April 8, 2008 12:01PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

Have you noticed that new gaming laptop getting a little warm after an extended frag-fest?  You definitely owe it to yourself - and your notebook - to check out Rosewill's RNA-7000W notebook cooler.  This cooling gem sports a solid aluminum base with two embedded USB-powered fans - perfect for lowering the high temps that can make your laptop unstable, or even damage its components.  Designed to fit 15" to 17" notebooks, the angled base also serves as a comfortable, ergonomic alternative to flat typing surfaces.  The best part about the Rosewill RNA-7000W is its ability to cool the computer at load temperatures, up to a 6 C drop compared to letting room conditions passively cool the laptop!  For a more in-depth look at the Rosewill RNA-7000W notebook cooler, please check out the OCC review here.

Scythe Unleashes A Real Heavyweight

Category: Cooling, Manufacturers, CPU Cooling
Posted: March 26, 2008 11:05AM
Author: Chris Benjamin

As overclockers, it is necessary that we have aftermarket CPU coolers to dispel the monstrous amount of heat generated by today's multi-core processors. Scythe has launched what may be the most monstrous CPU cooler - ever. Meet the 1,155 gram (that's 2 1/2 pounds!) Scythe Orochi. This beast utilizes no less than 10 heatpipes, and measures 120 x 194 x 155mm. The Scythe Orochi is compatible with Intel sockets 478 and 775, and AMD sockets 754, 939, 940, AM2, and AM2+. If you'd like to see this behemoth in action, check out these official pics of the Orochi mounted on a motherboard - here, and here.

CoolIT Release NVIDIA VGA MTEC Coldplate

Category: Cooling, Manufacturers, VGA Cooling
Posted: March 13, 2008 03:08PM
Author: Ben Grantham

CoolIT -

CoolIT systems produce water cooling systems with a bit of a twist, with that twist being that the water is chilled using the company's MTEC Technology. We reviewed the CoolIT Eliminator early last year and were impressed with the performance. CoolIT has moved on since then and has broadened its product line-up considerably. The latest creation is the MTEC Coldplate for NVIDIA 8800 series graphics cards, which should boost cooling performance when compared with regular water cooling blocks. That should be handy for those looking to push their cards that little bit further, maybe in the aim of benchmark records? The NVIDIA MTEC Coldplate is available now from CoollIT for $109.99

Arctic Cooling Introduce Accelero Xtreme

Category: Cooling, Gaming, Manufacturers, VGA Cooling
Posted: February 19, 2008 10:11AM
Author: Ben Grantham

Arctic Cooling -

Releasing a product with an 'Xtreme' qualifier has been popular with a number of manufacturers, and why we can't use the regular spelling I don't know (maybe that wouldn't be 'Extreme' enough?). It seems Arctic Cooling is the latest to jump onto this product naming band wagon, with the release of its Accelero Xtreme graphics card coolers. The Accelero Xtreme comes in two variants, the '2900' model being designed for use with ATI HD2900 series cards, and the '8800' model being for use with the 8800Ultra, GTX and GTS/GT (G80). The first question I find myself asking is why release a new high end cooler for cards that are essentially a generation old already? I guess Arcitic Cooling must think the demand is there, so what does the new Accelero Xtreme have to offer?

Both models of the Xtreme bear a resemblance to earlier models in the series (S1 and S2), although taking on a longer and slightly thinner profile than the S1. AC manage to pack in an impressive 5 heatpipes, 107 cooling fins and 3 80mm PWM fans, so cooling potential definitely isn't lacking here, and with a claimed heat dissipation of up to 240W it should be able to handle pretty much anything you can throw at it. Of course, as with most of AC's products, those fans are likely to be almost silent. The Accelero Xtreme 2900 comes with an MSRPof $49.90 and the 8800 version comes in at $47.90. It will be a tough job living up to the very popular S1, but it does look like it offers consumers an 'Xtreme' solution (no matter how much that name may grate with some).

Noctua Add 92mm NF-B9 to Fan Range

Category: Cooling
Posted: February 6, 2008 02:39PM
Author: Ben Grantham

Noctua -

Noctua have always deviated somewhat from the norm when it comes to the design of its fans. We reviewed 80mm and 120mm versions of Noctua fans in March of last year, and were impressed enough to give them an Editors' Choice award. This was mainly down to their noise quality, or rather lack of it. Since then Noctua have introduced a 120mm fan with a 9 blade design and unique 'Vortex-Control Notches' that focussed on increasing pressure performance for applications such as CPU and radiator cooling. However what has always been missing from Noctua's range of fans has been a 92mm model. Until now that is.

The NF-B9 fills the gap in the line-up and claims to achieve high air flow and pressure that other fans would require much higher RPM to achieve. With the addition of bevelled blade tips as well as the vortex-control notches, the NF-B9 certainly looks different. With Noctua's track record I would guess they aren't just there for show either. The NF-B9 comes with adaptors to reduce RPM from the standard 1600RPM, down to 1300RPM or 1000RPM as well as vibration reducing mounts and a 6 year warranty. You should be able to get hold of the new fan immediately, though that recommended price tag of $21.90 may be a bit rich for some.

Hardware Roundup: Tuesday Edition

Category: Video Cards, Cases, Cooling, Power Supplies, Monitors, Small Form Factor, General News, CPU Cooling
Posted: February 5, 2008 05:56AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Our Tuesday wanderings turned up several sightings of the breaking news about NVIDIA and AGEIA.  NVIDIA Is Really Buying AGEIA! from Tech ARP and NVIDIA Moves In On PhysX IP. Ageia Acqusition Announced from HotHardware are just of few of the sites with the news item this morning.  The Vizo Ninja 2 Laptop Cooler from RBMods provides a way to keep your notebook (and other vital body parts) cool and has been updated to fit larger laptops than its predecessor.   Also in the cooling department is the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme Heatsink over at FrostyTech.  Thermalright's Ultra line of coolers has long been at the top of the cooling  performance charts so check out how well the next in the lineup performs.  For that growing collection of high-def media Viper Lair shows us nothing beats having something like the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB Hard Drive  (you can also find OCC's review HERE).  As drive capacities increase, storage systems have also evolved and TweakTown evaluates the Promise SuperTrak EX STEX8650 8-port SAS.  Now that's a way to build a serious storage array.  If LAN parties are your thing then you know the value of having a well-designed small form factor case and the NZXT Rogue at MetkuMods could be just what you've been looking for.  The name Zalman means cooling and the Zalman ZM500-HP 500W Modular Power Supply reviewed at ThinkComputers shows how they apply that expertise to PSUs.  Neoseeker has a look at the Asus EAH3870X2 TOP today.  It seems as if the trend is towrd bigger monitors these days with 22" inch widescreen model becoming more and more common.  So where does that leave models like the Samsung 743B 17-inch Monitor?  Head on over to Techgage to see if there is still a place for smaller displays.  Tech ARP is back with  an article on Upcoming Intel Processor & Memory Technologies along with an update to their earlier Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Out Next Week! item.

Hardware Roundup: Wednesday Edition

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, CPU's, Cooling, Power Supplies, Software, Digital Photography/Video
Posted: January 30, 2008 06:25AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Our roundup du jour features several power supplies for us to look at today.  We'll lead off with the Cooler Master Real Power Pro 850W at Overclockers Online.  Moving down the power scale we have two similar units, the Antec NeoPower 650 and NeoPower 650 Blue PSU, reviewed by [H]ardocp.  At the lower end of the power spectrum we have TweakTown's review of the Seasonic M12II 500watt Power Supply.  FrostyTech brings us another installment in their chipset cooler series with a look at the Zalman ZM-NB47J Passive Northbridge Heatsink.  Intel's P35 chipset was released several months ago and today we have two motherboards based on that platform.  PCSTATS brings us the Asus BLITZ Formula Intel P35 Express DDR2 Motherboard and we also have the Gigabyte 6Quad GA-P35-DQ6 from motherboards.org.  VIA's Glenn Henry Speaks On New Low Power Isaiah Processor and HotHardware has the interview.  New processors always generate a lot of buzz among enthusiasts and Intel's new 45nm CPUs are no exception.  Techgage gives us an opportunity to look at one today in their Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz - Wolfdale Arrives review.  Also in the queue today is another double feature as ThinkComputers has the AutumnWave OnAir HDTV-GT USB ATSC/NTSC Tuner/Receiver followed by OnAir USB HDTV-GT at ViperLair (you can always check out OCC's own look at that unit HERE).  Next up Bjorn3D gets to play doctor with PC-Doctor, Inc. Always on Call.  For more PC remedies check out the Uniblue SpyEraser Spyware Removal Software at Tweaknews.  Tech ARP is back with another update to their Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide.

Hardware Roundup: Monday Edition

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, CPU's, Cases, Memory, Cooling, Power Supplies, Mobile, Monitors
Posted: January 28, 2008 07:04AM
Author: Dale Shuck

With the start of the new week our tour around the web leaves us with a lot of ground to cover.  From time to time we find ourselves in a position where a new product launch generates a lot of interest from various sites simultaneously and that's the situation we have today with AMD's recent launch of the HD 3870 X2 dual GPU video card.  If you read OCC's own ATI HD 3870 X2 Review then you already have a good idea what this card is all about - dual RV670 graphics processing units on a single-card in a dual-slot configuration offering Crossfire capability.  This configuration has obvious benefits in that it takes less space with reduced heat output and eliminates the need for the Crossfire bridge that a dual-card setup requires.  You can find additional coverage of the new card from: PC Perspective - Asus AMD Radeon HD 3870 X2 - AMD R680 Dual GPU Arrives, HotHardware - R680 Has Landed: ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 Tested , TweakTown - GECUBE Radeon HD 3870 X2 Graphics Card, Overclocker Cafe - HIS Radeon HD3870 X2, Bjorn3D - AMD HD3870X2 and [H]ardocp - ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 Dual GPU Video Card.  Our video card coverage next jumps over to the NVIDIA camp with the Sparkle 8800GTS 512MB Review: G92 Madness Continues from Madshrimps.  Viper Lair has a look at the factory-overclocked  MSI NX8600GT Twin Turbo.  If that wasn't enough for your daily dose of hardware, we have a double feature lined up for you with two Intel X38 chipset boards starting with PCSTATS' Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 Intel X38 Express Motherboard and the GIGABYTE X38T-DQ6 Motherboard from TweakTown.  FrostyTech has another chipset cooler review with their Zalman ZM-NBF47 Northbridge Chipset Heatsink.  Every cooling solution starts with a good thermal interface material so check out the Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Compound at RBMods.  Those new video cards are going to require a decent power supply and Bjorn3D gives us an opportunity to check out the Ultra X2 750W Extreme Titanium.  DDR2 memory is still a viable option for many.  Virual-Hideout reviews the OCZ 4GB Reaper X HPC PC2-6400 Memory which utilizes OCZ's HPC cooling.  For a complete home theater setup we have the Samsung HT-X250 home theatre system in a box from AcceleNation.  For those wanting to be one of only 10,000 lucky souls to own a unique case, check out the Thermaltake SwordM Full Tower Case brought to us by ThinkComputers.  While you're there, don't forget to check out their review of the Samsung SyncMaster 2232GW 22-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor.  In the mobile department we find the Samsung SGH-D880 Dual SIM Mobile Phone at Tech ARP and a review of the Palm Treo 750 from Techgage.  Tech ARP has provided an update to their Intel Core 2 Performance Comparison Guide.  Wrapping up, OCModShop examines the question Are Women Ignored as Technology Consumers?

Hardware Roundup: Thursday Edition

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, CPU's, Cases, Cooling, Gaming, Music / Video Players, Input Devices, Monitors, Gadgets, VGA Cooling
Posted: January 24, 2008 06:16AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Many hardware manufacturers are beginning to tout their products as supporting the ESA standard and are even prominently display the ESA logo.  Just what is ESA?  PC Perspective explains it all in their NVIDIA ESA: Enthusiast System Architecture article.  AMD/ATI has been getting some of the limelight with their HD 3850/3870 video cards.  TweakTown shares the MSI Radeon HD 3870 X2 OC Graphics Card with us and you need to pay attention to the "X2" in the name because this is the new dual GPU version!  Sharing the spotlight is the fact that AMD also just released two other cards as well and Legit Reviews looks at the ATI Radeon HD 3450 and Radeon HD 3650 Video Cards.  For NVIDIA fans there is always the Inno3D 8800 GT iChill at Overclocker Cafe which sports a factory overclock and an Arctic Cooling Accelero X1 cooler.  There's another new video technology making its way onto the market these days and you can head over to Techgage to read about DisplayLink - Multi-Display Setups with USB.  Crysis is a game known for bringing many a system to  its knees.  What does it take to play this game at the highest resolutions?  HotHarware has the Crysis v1.1 NVIDIA 3-Way SLI Performance Update.  What good is a new video card without a large monitor to show off all that eye candy?  That's where the Samsung SyncMaster 275T TFT LCD comes in and LAN Addict gives us a chance to check it out.  Madshrimps just posted their Foxconn P35AP-S Motherboard Revisited: New BIOS.  FrostyTech looks at the Xigmatek MAC-S3501 DDR/DDR2 Memory Heatspreaders and questions just how necessary is an active memory cooling solution.  The Lian Li PC-P80 Case garners some pretty strong superlatives in the video review from 3dGameMan.  Low power CPUs are more often found in mobile devices, not in enthusiasts' machines so find out what [H]ardocp has to say about VIA's New Centaur Designed Isaiah CPU Architecture.  TechReport has a quick look at SanDisk's Sansa Clip MP3 player for those of you looking for a small music player whose name doesn't begin with an 'i'.  When gaming, if your hands sweat like a kid on his first date then the Logitech ChillStream Actively Cooled Gamepad at Tweak News might be the answer for you.  Don't forget to check out the Geeks 7" Digital Picture Frame over at Monster-Hardware before you go.